Daniel Craig as James Bond: Does TV series spell the end as 007 for Chester actor?

New Stateside show has cast doubt over a 007 return for Liverpool Road-born actor

by Dawn Collinson, Jo Henwood

14:51, 15 Feb 2016Updated14:55, 15 Feb 2016

Daniel Craig at the world premiere of Spectre at the Royal Albert Hall(Image: Matt Crossick/PA Wire)

Chester actor Daniel Craig's commitment to a major new US TV series could end hopes of him returning to the big screen as the spy James Bond.

The actor. whose first home was in Liverpool Road in the city, has committed to a new 20 episode series of Purity, based on the novel by Jonathan Franzen. He will play the male lead Andreas Wolf, the charismatic head of The Sunlight Project, an organisation that traffics in the secrets of the world, for what will be his first major TV project in America.

But with the show already tipped to run for more series before it’s even had its debut, and a screen bidding war predicted for who lands it, 007 watchers fear that could fill up his diary and jeopardise any chance of Craig stepping back into the role.

Daniel did joke after completing Spectre that he’d rather slash his wrists than do another Bond film in the immediate future, and the director Sam Mendes has already confirmed he won’t make the 25th instalment of the multi-million pound franchise.

Producers at Sony have said they are hoping to woo Craig back to play the dashing MI5 agent again, and there have been reports he’s contracted for at least one more, but that hasn’t stopped speculation over who will step into his shoes.

Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Damien Lewis and Henry Cavil are all in the frame, and War & Peace star James Norton is a new hot tip. Maybe one of them is about to land a date with M sooner than expected.

(Image: (C) BBC - Photographer: Mitch Jenkins)

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